Andrée Aelion Brooks

Brooks is a journalist, author and lecturer. She has won many awards for her writings. Most recently, she won First Place in the Simon Rockower Awards for feature writing (magazines). In the summer of 2013 she also served as the historial advisor for a pilot script for a proposed TV mini series based on her biography of Dona Gracia Nasi. That same November she was honored by the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame.

Current Works

A romantic thriller with a political twist! "Russian Dance is Jewish history like you have never read it before. First Place winner, National Federation of Press Women, 2005 for biography/history. Purchase or download a copy of this book from its (amazon.com) dedicated web page.

"The Woman who Defied Kings" is a biography of Dona Gracia Nasi, a Renaissance banker who ran an escape network; selected as a finalist in the 2003 National Jewish Book Awards. Purchase or download a copy of this book from its dedicated (amazon.com) web page. Facebook at: donagraciaworldwide

This package of books (print, e-book, workbooks, documentary DVD) is all about raising the highly privileged child... new insights and strategies. First Place, non-fiction, National Federation of Press Women. Also featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. It was later made into an Emmy-nominated PBS documentary that, along with the print edition and updated e-edition, is available from this link to amazon.com. The documentary is listed separately under Amazon's Movies & TV category. The workbooks, in print or through pdf download, are available directly from the author. See e-mail contact above. This book also has its own dedicated website: chiildrenoffasttrackparents.com

Catching up ...

SPECIAL: We felt honored to be invited to present a lecture at the Library of Congress. We were also selected to appear at Google headquarters to tell the story of Dona Gracia Nasi as part of Google's authors@google series that also included Tom Brokaw and Al Gore. We are equally proud that a letter of ours on Amelia Bassano (see Lecture Topics page, item 4) was selected for the Editorial Page of the New York Times and that we won a Jewish journalism award for an article on Harbin (see "Lecture Topics" item 15)

NOTE: We continue to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of Dona Gracia Nasi and we now have a traveling (portable) exhibit to accompany a program. Contact the author for details.
You can also join our community and see research updates by clicking on the following Facebook link: DonaGraciaWorldwide. There, you can offer your idea of which A-list performer you would like to see play the role of Dona Gracia and some of the other lead characters for our planned TV mini-series.
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A SAMPLING OF UPCOMING TALKS and MINI COURSES for 2016(for further details, or to register for a talk/​course, call or e-mail contacts given below)

A SELECTION OF LECTURE TOPICS AND MINI COURSES (more details and a full list of topics can be found on the "Lecture Topics" page).

1. Jews and the American Civil War. Contrary to popular belief, Jews were deeply involved. Why were they eager to join up? What was their attitude towards slavery? What was the real story of Judah P. Benjamin, often described as the "brains behind the Confederacy."

2. Ghetto, Emancipation, Immigration: the story of the German Jews; their background in Europe and why their experience coming to America was so different from the later Eastern European Jews.

3. The Jews of India: from Solomon to Sassoon and beyond: Jews have been trading and settling in India since biblical times. We look at the various migrations and how they maintained their communities for almost three thousand years.

4. On the Fabled Road to Samarkand: a look at the Jews of the ancient Silk Road and later times (known as Bukharian Jews); based upon a trip taken by the lecturer to Uzbekistan in the fall of 2013.

5. Food in the History of the Jews: a tour through the evolution of of Jewish Food from biblical times to today.

6. From Blood Libel to Balfour Declaration: the remarkable history of the Jews of England.

7. The centuries-old history and culture of the Jews of Iran/​Persia.

8. Exploring Cuba: its once and future Jews.A look at the way Cuban Jews are increasingly coming out of the religious closet; based upon a recent visit by Brooks to the island.

9. A Woman for the Ages. The unlikely tale of Amelia Bassano: the shadowy Jewish woman behind Shakespeare and his canon. And how it might change our traditional image of Shylock and the original goal of "The Merchant of Venice."

10. The origins and lesser-known history of the Jews of Russia: understanding their true role in the Bolshevik Revolution. Includes research compiled for her book "Russian Dance." Included is the story of the Jews and the McCarthy era here in the United States.

11. The Incredible story of Doña Gracia Nasi: a 16th century Jewish woman banker and leader. Includes back story of how documents were found.

12. The Origins of Jewish Life in Europe and the birth of Ashkenaz.

13. The Ancient Origins of Merchant Jews and their impact upon our history. Also taught as a mini course: "On the Road with Jewish Merchants."

14. The Jews in the Renaissance: the background, personalities and their artistic achievements. Why we rarely hear about them. Also taught as a mini course.

15. Keeping a secret for 500 years: the Strange Story of the Conversos and how it r
resonates even today. Also taught as a mini course.

16. Were there really Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean? Background and understanding.

17. The (real) history of the Jewish doctor.

18. How DNA studies and genealogical research is affecting our understanding of Jewish history and ourselves.

19. Magic, merchants and miracles: the 2,000-year history of the Jews of Morocco.

20. The hidden history of the Jews of China.

21. Our Past, Ourselves. The real story of the early 20th century mass Jewish immigration into America and their impact upon our attitudes today.

22. Jewish Women through the ages: five-part mini course looks at women from ancient Alexandria through to the revolutionaries of the early 20th centuries.

23. Bad Boy of the Jewish World: a new look at the life of Baruch Spinoza, the excommunicated Dutch philosopher.

24. Communism, McCarthy and the Jews

25. ... and for teachers, school counselors, parents and grandparents: Raising the Over-Privileged Child; based upon her award-winning book/​workbooks "Children of Fast Track Parents," recently updated and offered as an e-book. A one-hour Emmy-nominated documentary, based upon the research, is also available from amazon.com. Ask author for details.

LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH BOOK?

Click on the individual titles in the right margin above
to sample a chapter or learn more about
a particular work.

History, culture, food, music and customs of the Jews who trace their ancestry to Spain and Portugal. pdf downloads now available from its dedicated website, where you also pay in any currency through Paypal: outofspain.com

"An excellent child-rearing guide," New York Times; available with hands-on workbooks. New! e-book edition and a companion documentary available on amazon.com; workbooks directly from this author.
This book has its own dedicated website: childrenoffasttrackparents.com